Women farmers are as good as the men too and these photos prove it

When you Think of farming and imagine a kind of Famous Five scene: the old male farmer out in the field and his jolly wife in the kitchen cooking up pies. But you know, women are becoming increasingly part of the UK farming industry. In fact, the National Farmers Union appointed its first-ever female president in its 110-year history earlier this year. And now, photographs have launched a new exhibition of hard-working female farmers. Based in Hay-on-Wye, Billie’s photos show women from the local area. ‘I was brought up in this area, but I have had little direct experience of farm life, driving past tiny turnings off country lanes without a second thought about all the activity at the end of the tracks,’ Billie says. ‘In recent years, however, if I’ve had a spare morning, something has drawn me to the livestock markets in Hay or Hereford. I’ve had great conversations as well as uncovering unique photo opportunities. But it struck me that most of my farming photos have shown men, and I wanted to showcase all the hard-working women too.’